Our principal purpose is
the preservation of wild and scenic rivers, wilderness, and unique natural areas.
Conservation • Education • Recreation
Outings and Activities
april
Event Details
On Wednesday, April 24, 2024, Jack and Sue Mabry will lead a wildflower hike at Smith Creek Preserve which is 1 1/4 miles south of the Boxley Trailhead. Hikers will
Event Details
On Wednesday, April 24, 2024, Jack and Sue Mabry will lead a wildflower hike at Smith Creek Preserve which is 1 1/4 miles south of the Boxley Trailhead. Hikers will gather at Boxley Trailhead at 10:00 AM and consolidate into fewer cars then drive to Smith Creek to hike. There will be some wet water crossings and wildflowers and dramatic scenery. Please view details below.
Highlands Chapter Outing: Smith Creek Preserve Wildflower Hike
Day, Date: Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Name of Hike: Smith Creek Preserve Wildflowers
Type of Hike: Dayhike, trail, most of the trail is old roadbed along Smith Creek, hikers are encouraged to spur trails for viewing the creek
Location: Nature Conservancy Smith Creek is 1.25 miles south of Boxley Valley trailhead off AR Hwy 21
Hiking Distance: 5.75 miles
Maximum Elevation Difference: 797 feet
Rating: Moderate due to distance and elevation
Features: Waterfalls, boulders, blue pools, wildflowers, moss rock covered springs, creeks, and more
Hike Leaders: Sue and Jack Mabry
Telephone and Email: 816-922-9896, mabrysue@gmail.com
Place and Time:
- Meet at 9:15 AM for at King’s River Country Store in Marble, AR; or,
- Meet at 10:00 AM at the Boxley Trailhead (Upper Buffalo River Trailhead, Mile 0) parking area. Due to limited parking at the Smith Creek preserve hikers will need to consolidate into fewer cars, then drive 1.2 miles to Smith Creek Preserve
- Click on “Location” below for Google Map, or see map link at: Upper Buffalo Wilderness Trailhead – Google Maps
Comments: Bring water, snacks, lunch, rain gear, gloves, and a hiking stick, and wear comfortable hiking boots/shoes. You might want to bring binoculars. No pets are allowed on any hikes. Children under 12 years are discouraged and minors must be accompanied by a guardian. Participants are required to sign a Liability Release sheet at the trail head to take part in any Ozark Society outing. Everyone is welcome to hike with the OS, whether an Ozark Society member or not.
Time
(Wednesday) 9:15 AM - 3:00 PM
Organizer
sat27apr10:00 AMsat2:00 PMBayou Chapter - Corney Creek Paddle10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Event Details
https://www.bayouchapter.com/event-details/bayou-darbonne-corney-creek-paddle
Time
(Saturday) 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Event Details
Highlands Chapter April Meeting Our speaker, David Eddy of Russellville, is a Sassafras Hiking Award recipient, an award given by the Ozark Society to individuals who have hiked all four major
Event Details
Highlands Chapter April Meeting
Our speaker, David Eddy of Russellville, is a Sassafras Hiking Award recipient, an award given by the Ozark Society to individuals who have hiked all four major regional trails. They are the Buffalo River Trail, the Ozark Highlands Trail, the Ozark Trail and the Ouachita Trail. David has hiked numerous other places including the Appalachian Trail and has some favorite areas. His enthusiasm for hiking is so infectious we may feel we’re on the trail beside him.
Because some members have expressed an interest in knowing more about the Ouachitas, I asked David to speak about the Ouachita Trail. He has hiked it now 6 times, knows the shuttle possibilities, and recently took pictures of each shelter along the way.
So mark the date on your calendar and plan to join us Tuesday evening, April 30th. All are welcome for social time at 6:30 PM and the meeting, starting at 7:00. Visitors and guests are welcome.
WHEN:
Tuesday, April 30, 2024
6:30-7:00 pm social time
7:00 pm announcements
Guest Speaker immediately following announcements
WHERE:
First United Presbyterian Church
Witherspoon Hall
695 E. Calvin Street
Fayetteville, AR 72703
SPEAKER:
David Eddy, Russellville
Sassafras Hiking Award Recipient
“The Ouachita Trail and More”
Feel free to call me if you have questions. If you want to respond to me from this announcement, please use “REPLY”, not “REPLY ALL”. We have over 200 members in the Highlands Chapter of the OS. We’d love to see many of you at our meetings. If you have interests that you’d like to have a program about, please let me know.
Hope to see you at this last meeting of the season!
Peggy Bulla
OSHC Vice-Chair
(479) 586-2493
Time
(Tuesday) 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Organizer
may
tue07may7:00 PMtue8:30 PMPulaski Chapter Monthly Meeting7:00 PM - 8:30 PM 600 Pleasant Valley Drive
Event Details
We are meeting at Second Presbyterian for our meeting this May. Our speaker has yet to be named, so check back to see who it will be. After the presentation,
Event Details
We are meeting at Second Presbyterian for our meeting this May. Our speaker has yet to be named, so check back to see who it will be. After the presentation, we will have a business meeting to cover Arkansas environmental events and where our outing will be for this month.
Time
(Tuesday) 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Location
Second Presbyterian Church
600 Pleasant Valley Drive
Organizer
Event Details
Another new hike! We head south to White Oak Lake State Park to hike the Fern Hollow Trail. We will only do half of the trail and then go over
Event Details
Another new hike! We head south to White Oak Lake State Park to hike the Fern Hollow Trail. We will only do half of the trail and then go over to the Little Grand Canyon area on a branch of White Oak creek. Meet at the Chik-fil-A by Bass Pro at 8am or meet us at the Park Visitor’s center at 10. Bring a lunch and water. Hike total of 6 miles or so.
Time
(Saturday) 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Location
White Oak Lake State Park
Organizer
Event Details
Spring 2024 Meeting in Springfield MO, May 18th-19th A Meeting to Remember: the Ozark
Event Details
Spring 2024 Meeting in Springfield MO, May 18th-19th
A Meeting to Remember: the Ozark Society Spring Member Gathering May 18-19, 2024, Featuring Author Doug Tallamy
Our annual spring meeting will be like one you’ve ever attended before May 18-19. There’s the host: the 100-member Schoolcraft Chapter centered around Springfield, MO. The chapter is named after Henry Schoolcraft who traveled the winter of 1818/1819 with Levi Pettibone from Potosi to Springfield through the Ozark Mountains and down the White River into Arkansas.
There’s the keynote speaker: nationally known sustainability and conservation author Doug Tallamy, who will present “A Conversation with Doug Tallamy” Saturday. His best-selling conservation and ecology-related books, including Nature’s Best Hope, Bringing Nature Home and the Nature of Oaks. Books will be available for sale.
There’s the meeting location: the Darr Agriculture Center, a feature of Missouri State University.
There’s the extras for the meeting: a catered lunch, a native plant sale, and, in addition, Springfield Environmental Services will present its yard ethic program.
And post-meeting, there’s more: two campsites highlighting spectacular member properties, landscapes and conservation best practices; a potluck in a barn with musical entertainment and maybe even some dancing; a possible reappearance of Henry Schoolcraft himself; and the option of a tour Sunday afternoon of Tumbling Creek Cave and Ozark Mountain Laboratory.
Here are the details as of press time:
Location of Saturday Morning & Afternoon Activities
The Darr Agricultural Center, 2401 S. Kansas Expressway, Springfield, MO 65807, 417-836-5638
Schedule Saturday Morning
8 a.m.-Noon: Native Plant Sale Outside Darr Building – Ozark Society and public invited. Hosted by Missouri Wildflowers, mowildflowers.net, Gaylena’s Garden, gaylenasgarden@gmail.com and Ozark Soul, natives@ozarksoul.com
9 a.m: Member and Board Meeting and Refreshments
Noon: Catered lunch $20, featuring Doug Tallamy. Registration/head count required at www.eventbrite.com/e/ozark-society-spring-meeting-and-luncheon-tickets-847524006117
Saturday Afternoon
2 p.m: Mini-conference, free to Ozark Society members, charge for nonmembers. Doug Tallamy Speaker. Introduction by Curtis Millsap, Chair, Schoolcraft Chapter
3:15-3:30 p.m: Break
3:30-4:15 p.m: City of Springfield Yard Ethics Program. Conclusion by Curtis Millsap for to mini-conference
Accommodations and Evening Activities
Free Camping Sites
Location is Bob and Barbara Kipfer’s historic Bull Mills property, about 25 miles southeast of Springfield. This beautiful 400-acre property includes pristine Bull Creek, a cabin, cemetery, grasslands, woods and site of the former Bull Mills. The Kipfers host many wildflower walks, WOLF School visits, research projects and educational presentations.
Barb or Bob Kipfer, rekipfer@gmail.com for questions, reservations and map
AND
Rockspan Farm, home of Dan and Mike Chiles, an extraordinary tree farm and site of many sustainability projects, best practices, research and innovation
1448 Chiles Lane, Bois D’Arc, MO 65612. https://www.rockspanfarm.com/ for description and directions, 417-848-2780, Dan Chiles
Potluck & Entertainment
After setting up camp, kick back at Rockspan Farm’s Red Barn for good food, music and some toe tapping. Tables, chairs and electric provided.
Sunday Activities
For Sunday, the Schoolcraft Chapter has two possibilities:
- Enroute home if you live south of Springfield, take a slight detour southeast for a tour of the nationally known Tumbling Creek Cave and Ozark Underground Laboratory May 19 at 1572 Aley Lane, Protem, MO 65733. The cave’s owners, Tom and Cathy Aley, have devoted their careers to using dye tracing to track groundwater, its flow and path through karst topography in many parts of the U.S. We’ll need a head count before announce start of tour.
To learn more about the cave go to https://www.ozarkundergroundlab.com/tumbling-creek-cave.html.
- There may be a sighting of the elusive Henry Schoolcraft at the Bull Mills property Sunday morning. We’ll announce an expected time of arrival later. Henry is well versed in his own adventures, of course, as well as the land’s history, starting when an ocean covered it millions of years ago and 15,000 year-old artifacts were left behind.
All Members Welcome!
Missouri Plans to Show You a Good Time
Time
18 (Saturday) 9:00 AM - 19 (Sunday) 12:00 PM
Location
Darr Center
2401 S. Kansas Expwy
june
tue04jun7:00 PMtue8:30 PMPulaski Chapter Monthly Meeting7:00 PM - 8:30 PM 600 Pleasant Valley Drive
Event Details
We are at Second Presbyterian for our meeting this June. Our speaker has yet to be named, so check back to find out who it will be. We will hold
Event Details
We are at Second Presbyterian for our meeting this June. Our speaker has yet to be named, so check back to find out who it will be. We will hold a business meeting after to discuss club and environment items.
Time
(Tuesday) 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Location
Second Presbyterian Church
600 Pleasant Valley Drive
Organizer
Latest News
Spring 2024 Meeting in Springfield MO, May 18th-19th
2024-03-05T11:14:16-06:00By Carolyn Shearman|News & Updates|
A Meeting to Remember: the Ozark Society Spring Member Gathering May 18-19, 2024, Featuring Author Doug Tallamy Our annual spring meeting will be like one you’ve ever attended before May 18-19. There’s the host: the 100-member Schoolcraft Chapter centered around [...]
How to Convince Climate Skeptics
2023-01-25T17:43:12-06:00By The Ozark Society|Pack & Paddle, Winter 2022|
By Fred Paillet, OS Education Chair Climate change is a major environmental concern, and we can see its effect in a worldwide retreat of glaciers as in my illustration below. But those glacier retreats occur in [...]
Annual Membership Meeting at Lake Claiborne
2024-03-01T16:59:08-06:00By The Ozark Society|Pack & Paddle, Winter 2022|
By Alice B. Andrews, Ozark Society Conservation Chair There were at least 46 Ozark Society members in attendance at the annual membership meeting hosted by the Bayou Chapter at Lake Claiborne State Park, LA, October 21-23, and we [...]